Keep Holding On
by powerfulhallucinations
Summary: Dragon Rider One-Shot: Emma Nolan is one of the ancient race of the Dragon Lords, the peacekeepers of the realm of Misthaven. Killian Jones is the skin-changing dragon upon whom she rides. When the peace of the kingdom is threatened and an age old power revealed, it is up to the two of them to fight the final battle. (The Eragon/How To Train Your Dragon au that popped into my head)


**A/N: When you think you're going to write a 5k one shot for your collection but things spiral and it becomes a 13k monster eragon/how to train your dragon au fic. Please enjoy, I had a blast writing it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own once upon a time**

 **Keep Holding On**

For centuries, the realm of Misthaven had been protected by the ancient race of the Dragon Lords and the skin-changing beasts upon which they rode.  
Many had feared the creatures and the magical powers that they bestowed upon their masters, invading the land in an attempt to destroy the race for fear of the damage they could inflict should they choose to turn their might against the ordinary mortals. Yet, the people of Misthaven had sided with the Lords and formed great armies to drive the invaders out until there was a harmonious peace brought about by a treaty between the kingdoms.

The Dragon Lords, though few in numbers, had the strength of ten men and agreed to voluntarily serve as defenders of the peace, providing a barricade from any and all threat. In exchange, they were left alone to practice their craft and rear the younglings who came to them upon discovering their abilities for; where a Dragon Lord can only be borne by blood, their shape-shifting partners could be anyone...within reason.

Dragons have the ability to be both creature and man, shifting between forms at will, though animal instinct often means that they don't mate monogamously. There were incidents in the past in which male dragons were forcibly contained, the Lords having to bind them to a singular form as they went from partner to partner without care or caution. Fortunately, by some power unknown, a child produced of such couplings will not necessarily be born a dragon; however, they do carry the gene within them and pass it down from generation to generation, with each new family member bearing the possibility of becoming a dragon themselves.

Killian Jones was one such individual, the dragon blood coming from his mother's side, though she had not known that such a thing even existed. The shock of birthing an egg rather than a child had been attributed to part of the reason as to why she never saw the other side of child birth. It is an unfortunate side effect of the animalistic nature of the gene, though the egg hatches within the next few days producing a perfectly healthy human-looking child.

Killian's father had not waited for that moment. He took the egg that was handed to him by the midwife (wrapped in the blanket knitted with what was meant to be his new sons name on it) with congratulations and condolences combined into one, glanced once at the lifeless body of his wife and strode deep into the woods. There was a chasm there, with jagged rocks at its bottom where there had once been a river. Hoisting the egg over his head, he had prepared to throw it down to what would surely be its end, only to be stopped by a frantic voice.

A man dressed in expensive looking leathers and a fur lined cape, suddenly emerged from the path that Brennan himself had just travelled. The stranger insisted upon taking the object, that destroying it would bring him no satisfaction. Wanting no part of this madness any longer, Brennan had carelessly tossed the egg over to the man who caught it safely in his arms, before making a swift retreat back through the trees to where his mount was waiting.

"You were right Graham," he said to the large, grey-scaled dragon, "Fortunately, I was just in time. The little one seems strong anyhow, but we need to get him warm."  
With that, Lord David Nolan, climbed into the saddle, the newborn tucked safely into a basket lined with blankets secured in front and rose into the sky.

The Dragon Lords inhabited what had once been an abandoned castle, though the stonework had been restored and the surrounding grounds repaired to hold their ever growing family.  
It was to here that David returned, quickly removing the egg along with Graham's saddle so that he could return to his human form.  
"How's the youngling?" He asked, once again capable of verbal speech, reaching out to check over the shell for any damage.  
"He seems healthy, though I'm going to have Granny check first."

The two men strode quickly through the courtyard, up the steps and into the winding halls of the castle; bypassing everyone they encountered, though many fell in behind them at the sight of their cargo.  
Their location was the kitchen where they were sure to find Granny Lucas, one of the oldest Dragons in their rank; if anyone knew what was going on within that egg, it would be her.  
Sure enough, she was stirring a stew over the blazing fire, a group of younglings sat nearby as she told them a story, though it came to an abrupt halt when she sensed their presence.

"Give him to me," she said as a form of greeting, practically snatching the egg from David's arms and moving to cradle it near the fire.  
"So it's a boy then?" David asked, following her over, interest etched into his features.  
"Of course he's a boy," she scoffed, "Honestly Nolan, have you learnt nothing from me. The size and the shaping is a clear indication and...oh."

She fell silent, her eyes roving across the surface of the shell, one finger cautiously tracing the pattern.  
"What is it?" Graham said, surging forward with the rest of the crowd.  
"Oh he is a very special boy indeed," Granny murmured, smiling down at the egg, "See this coloration; the blue and black with just a hint of red and gold woven in; a pattern like that hasn't been seen for centuries. This little one comes from a very old, very powerful family of dragons; there's a lot of strength and magical ability in him, you mark my words. I don't think I've seen potential like this since...well, ever. When was he born?"  
"This morning," David whispered, a hint of awe in his voice, "Graham sensed it and we caught the father just before he was about to destroy him."

There was a chorus of angry hisses that echoed from the surrounding dragons gathered in the room. It wouldn't be the first human parent that had killed a youngling, but it was still considered a despicable act.  
"Not even a day old and he's practically radiating power. I tell you, whoever he bonds with, that's gonna be a hell of a partnership. It's just a question of rearing now."

"I'll do it," Graham volunteered, though somewhat shyly. Taking responsibility as a parental figure for a youngling was no small thing.  
"Are you sure about that? You should probably talk to Ruby first," David intoned.  
"She'll be fine, her and Snow can talk about the joys of motherhood together. That is if your daughter ever decides she's ready to arrive."  
"It will be any day now," Granny said with certainty, passing the egg over to Graham, who cradled it protectively to his chest, "Look after him Humbert, he is after all my official great grand-child now."

There was a wave of laughter as Granny turned back to her stew and story while David and Graham left the kitchen in search of their partners.  
"Killian Jones," Graham mumbled, fingering the stitching on the blanket that his new son was wrapped in, clearly the work of somebody who had been prepared to love this child with all their heart.  
"A strong name," David stated, looking once more at the egg before pushing open the door to the quarters he shared with his wife; his very pregnant wife who was loudly complaining about swollen feet to her best-friend (and dragon) Ruby Lucas.

"I swear Emma sweetie," she half growled down at her stomach, "If you are half as much trouble outside the womb as you are in it, gods help everyone in this place."  
David huffed a laugh, "She kicking up a storm again?"  
His wife turned to grace him with a dazzling smile, though it turned into an eyeroll directed at her protruding stomach where it was most likely their daughter had just kicked her again.  
"Like you would not believe, I'm pretty sure I'm giving birth to an octopus."

"An octopus raised alongside a dragon, that'll be interesting," he muttered quietly, though not quietly enough clearly based on the confused exclamations of the two women and the death-glare from Graham, whom he had just thrown under the proverbial bus.  
"Uh...so, funny story Ruby," he said, trying to hide himself behind David, "We found a newborn today, not even hatched, brought him home for Granny to check over and...um, well, to cut a long story short...I uh-I kind of, maybe, adopted him."

He then slowly moved his arms out to display the egg though kept it close enough to his body so that Ruby couldn't attack him without risking hurting the youngling.  
"You adopted a child?"  
"Um, yes?" His voice going up at the end as if it were a question, but hastily continued with more confidence when it looked like Ruby was going to tear him a new one, "His birth father was going to kill him you see, so he has no one in the whole world and Granny says he's special, like ridiculously powerful even now and well...we talked about kids but you said you hated the idea of childbirth and that there were plenty out there who need parents because they have none and he has none so now he's ours...if you want to."

Silence fell, apart from Graham's heavy breathing followed by the dull thuds of Ruby's feet as she crossed the floor and gathered the bundle into her own arms.  
"A powerful one indeed, aren't you...Killian Jones," she cooed softly, bouncing the egg in her arms as if it was an actual child, "I guess I'm your new mamma then. Your daddy's lucky you're so cute otherwise I would have to clip his wings, oh yes I would."  
The three other adults were dumbfounded as their friend wandered about the room muttering to her new son, until Snow half yelled,  
"I can't believe you had your child before me!"

~E&K~

In all fairness, it was only two days later that Snow went into labor.  
Granny caught the baby while David and Ruby soothed the new mother, helping her steady her breathing and mopping up the sweat on her brow.  
"A beautiful and healthy baby girl as predicted," Granny said as she placed the crying newborn into her father's arms, the tears slowly tracking down David's face as he caressed his daughter's cheek with a finger.  
"Hello Emma," he sighed, moving to sit beside his wife, passing the infant over so that she could hold her, content in the quiet calm that followed the madness of birth; though it was quickly broken as Graham burst in carrying his own blanket wrapped bundle, looking less ovular than normal.  
"He hatched," Graham huffed, having obviously run from elsewhere in the castle to their suite.

Ruby gasped and rushed to her partner's side, another wave of tears brimming in her eyes as she got her first real look at her son.  
There were still little pieces of egg shell caught in the wisps of Killian's baby hair, that Granny carefully picked out before weighing and measuring the child.  
"Make that two healthy babies," she chuckled, passing her grandchild back to Ruby, who moved to sit beside Snow so that they could see each other's children.  
They lined the two infants up next to each other, their tiny arms waving in the air looking for something to latch onto.

In the next instant, Killian's little fist brushed against Emma's and there was a blinding flash of light followed by Emma's loud wailing.  
"What happened? What did he do?!" David demanded, rushing back to try and assess the damage done to his daughter, though she seemed to be fine apart from...  
"Son of a bitch," he muttered, drawing everyone's attention down to the babies hands.

There, seemingly burnt into the skin of each child was a tiny symbol, a symbol that now meant they were bonded for life.

~E&K~

 _18 Years Later_

Emma's heart was pounding as she tried to stick close to the walls, out of the torch light that would reveal her to the guards as she tried to sneak through the courtyard.  
' _Fucking Rumplestiltskin,'_ she thought, as she was forced to dive and shoulder role behind a cart full of manure.

Two years ago, on her sixteenth birthday, the Dark One had paid a visit to their castle unannounced, feigning annoyance at having not received an invite to the party. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him and it wouldn't be the last. He considered it best that he knew of all the powerful magic wielders in the realm, a title which Emma happened to fall under. Not that it was in her control; most of her power stemmed from Killian and his ancient bloodline, though apparently the Dark One had no interest in a skin-changer whose own parents hadn't even wanted him.  
That particular comment had been specifically designed to aggravate her partner, his animalistic nature taking hold for a mere second as he thoughtlessly launched himself at the imp. Emma's magic had been triggered to retaliate, deflected by the wizard though it was clear he was impressed.

It was this that had spurred him into attempting to make a deal. Emma would surrender her title as a Dragon Lord and enhance her own, personal magic while living in the Dark One's castle.  
"A gift to my son," he'd cackled, "I can think of no worthier bride."  
This of course had sparked outrage, the Lords adamantly refusing as the eyes of the Dragons in the room began to glow menacingly, Killian's brighter than anyone.  
Their refusal had sparked what was looking to develop into a war, Rumplestiltskin terrorising villages across the realm using his magic to cause crops to fail and water supplies to be suddenly tainted with filth, turning the people against the Dragon Lords who were supposed to protect them.  
This had led to a round the clock guard being set up in the Lord's castle, to defend themselves from threat and be ready to move in an instant. Though Emma was grateful for it (of course) it was simultaneously proving to be a massive inconvenience.

Crawling out from beneath the cart, Emma made one last mad dash to the guard's gate that would let her out onto the bridge and to freedom. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed and she silently fist pumped before running off again, through the woods on the path to the nearby town.  
It's boarders were in sight, when she heard an all too familiar sound up above, skidding to a standstill as the dragon landed in front of her.

"Seriously Killian," she whined, glaring the beast in his piercing blue eyes, though he stared resolutely back, "Do you mind moving, I've got somewhere to be."  
She tried side-stepping around him, but the long black tail swooped around to stop her, forming a bar across her torso and pushing her backwards.  
"You're being a real ass, you know that?" She spat, shoving his tail off of her and placing her hands on her hips, "I get that we're at war and all, but I have a date tonight _which you knew_ , so if you would kindly-"  
This time, he wrapped his whole body around her, keeping her trapped in the middle.  
"Goddamit Killian, you're a dragon not a snake, _let me go."_  
He moved instantly and Emma felt terrible at the betrayal in his eyes.

As a Dragon Lord, in certain situations, she had the ability to force Killian into certain actions just by the tone of her voice. It was a technique rarely used as it was often viewed as cruel to remove their free-will in such a manner, often the Lord's only used it in times of distress when a dragon was weak but still needed to do something or move to a certain space before collapsing.  
She'd never used it on Killian before.

"I'm sorry," she said, hand moving out to caress the black and red flecked scales on his neck, feeling the long huff of air leave him that meant she was forgiven.  
"Look, I promise I'll be careful, I just really want to see Neal tonight."  
A low grumble reverberated through his chest making her frown.  
"I know you don't like him Killian, but I do and that's all that matters. I know we're bonded and whatever, but that does not mean you get to make decisions for me. So you can either go, or I'll make you go."

It was a low blow, threatening that against him, but she wasn't playing around.  
She'd met Neal a few months ago in the local tavern that she'd snuck into for the night, the two of them hitting it off and agreeing to meet back there in a week's time. This would be their fourteenth secret rendezvous and Emma was planning to make the most of it.  
Despite her best efforts at flirting, no one in the castle seemed to respond in any way to her advances. Before Neal, she had never been kissed apart from that time when she was six and made Killian do it so she could show off to the other girls. At eighteen, having now kissed Neal multiple times, she was ready for more; which is why she was wearing her best dress and underwear beneath the cloak disguising it all.

The battle in Killian's eyes was clear, his need to protect her a constant, though he had so often been forced to over-rule it in the past. It had often gotten him into trouble with her parents and his, Ruby and Graham giving him long lectures about the importance of the Dragon Lords above all else, that his life was inconsequential otherwise. If Emma died, he would to.  
She'd always apologise profusely afterwards and swear never to do it again, though she always did and he always let her.  
Eventually, after what felt like hours, he turned away and spread his wings.  
 _"Be careful Emma,"_ his 'voice' whispered into her mind, before he launched himself into the sky, his coloring acting as an instant camouflage that would keep him hidden from regular humans.  
Sighing heavily, Emma silenced the voice in her head that told her to just go home, instead fluffing her hair and striding with purpose towards the nearby tavern.  
Neal was already waiting for her, leaning up against the wall outside.

He greeted her with a kiss.  
"Are usual table is free," he said, taking hold of her hand, ready to lead her inside.  
"Actually," she interrupted quickly, not wanting to lose her nerve, "I was thinking of something a little more private for tonight."  
Neal was quick to catch on and dragged her away back into the woods where they could truly be alone, Emma giggling all the way.

~E&K~

Killian's blood raced as he mercilessly hacked away at one of the training dummies.  
It was a pitiful attempt at trying to keep his attention focused elsewhere to avoid the foreign emotions that were slowly entering him.  
All Dragons shared a bond with their Lord that allowed them to communicate mentally and feel the others emotions, normally it was a dull echo, but in moments when adrenaline was high, it became all the more pronounced.  
He was always very careful at controlling himself around Emma. Though she was less sensitive to emotions than he was, there would be no doubting how ridiculously and hopelessly Killian was in love with her.  
Hence why he was stabbing the life out of a straw man.

It was more than obvious what Emma's plans for the night were with Neal based upon the overwhelming feelings of pleasure spiked with first-timers pain that were radiating from her, and it was killing him.  
What had he ever done to deserve such torment, to have to second-handedly experience the pleasure of the woman that he loved, being delivered to her by another man.  
He could feel the anger and hurt swelling within him, mounting to a peak with her...always with her.  
His bones were shifting beneath his skin and he was so disappointed, he'd not lost control like this since he was a youngling who didn't understand the change.

As Emma climbed higher, he gave himself over to the loss of control, hardly noticing the people running out of the castle towards him; likely because of the inhuman noises that were escaping his throat, the dragon inside screaming and clawing it's way to the surface.  
He felt it then, the emotions peaking to a climax, sweeping over him before something equally large pinned him down and he fell into darkness.

~E&K~

A short way away, a single tear left Emma's eye.  
She quickly caught it, confused at the feeling of anguish that seemed to hit her at her core, after what was meant to be one of the most completing experiences of her life so far.

~E&K~

Emma felt a little giddy the next morning, waltzing down the corridors towards the main hall, eager to tell her friends about the night before.  
Pushing open the doors, she instantly picked up on the heavy tension that seemed to be lingering over part of the room and the distress that was coloring Ruby and Graham's features as they pushed food around their plates rather than eating it.  
Her parents looked similarly troubled, frowns etched into their features, the lines deepening when they noticed her arrival.

The four adults pushed away from the table, heading straight towards her and damn, she was so screwed. Had Killian told, is that why he wasn't here, did he feel to guilty to face her.  
"Come with us, now," her father stated, his tone colder than she was used to and yeah, she was in so much trouble.

They moved in silence, pushing their way into one of the empty lounges, where Emma was directed to sit while her mother sank down next to Ruby on the love seat, Graham leaned up against the window, still looking tormented and her father paced from wall to wall.  
"What happened last night?" Her father asked.  
"I don't know what you-" she started to say.  
"Do not lie to us Emma," he interrupted, "This is important. What happened last night."  
"Nothing," she responded staring him down in hopes that her father would believe the lie, though that clearly was not going to work.

"So you didn't feel anything...abnormal?" Her mother pressed, squeezing Ruby's shoulder and why was she so tearful, what had happened while she was out.  
"Nope," she said, popping the p, "I slept happy as a clam."  
"So you felt nothing when Killian lost control then?" Graham quietly added.  
"No I-Wait what? Killian lost control, but how? Why?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," her father said, arms crossing over his chest, but Emma was still in too much shock. Killian never lost control, ever, she thinks that it's only ever happened once in his lifetime, which was a lot more than others could say. Most dragons couldn't fully control themselves until adolescence, Killian had conquered his age five.  
"Is he okay?" She whispered, finally understanding Ruby and Graham's expressions. Though not biologically, they were Killian's parents in every way that mattered and were beyond proud to call him their son.

"He's with Granny now," Ruby answered, "His change went wrong, he had no control, bits of him shifted at different times, he-" she was cut off by a sob and Emma could only imagine the rest.  
She'd read about it once in a book, researching the dragon side of the bond and the importance of control. There had been a very graphic description about why a Dragon should be fully prepared to shift with their whole body. Eyes were something different, they could travel between without causing any damage, but the rest of the body could lead to their human flesh tearing in irregular places, meaning it would still be that way when they morphed back.  
A stuttering breath rattled through her lungs and she reached frantically for their bond, trying to find him on the other end.

"I can't feel him," she stammered, fear taking over, "Why can't I feel him?"  
"It's fine sweetheart, he's going to be okay eventually," her mother said, rushing over to take her hand, "There's a lot of magic trying to heal him right now, it's numbing the pain which is why you can't feel him properly."  
Emma tried to relax, to allow herself to breathe properly, but this was likely all her fault.  
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears starting to blur her vision, "I didn't want this to happen. It's just-"  
"Go on," her mother soothed.  
"I've been sneaking out about once a week, just to go to the closest village. Killian always tries to stop me and I always brush him off. Last night I just-I got so annoyed, I didn't mean it. I used a command on him," Ruby and Graham gasped softly, "It was an accident I swear, just trying to get around him, but he still wouldn't go home so I threatened to do the same again. I didn't but, later, I felt odd, really intense kind of anguish, I didn't think. I'm so sorry."

The room was stunned to silence, using commands was not something to be taken lightly.  
"Oh, Emma," her father sighed, "What were you thinking?"  
"I wasn't, it's just...there was this boy..."  
Her voice trailed off as Ruby's eyes flashed and she stalked out of the room, Graham following close behind, neither of them looking at her as they passed, causing the dam to burst and her sobs to break free. She could hear herself rambling apologies to her parents, unable to stop herself, the noise doubling as they caved and held onto her.

~E&K~

Her parents had eventually calmed her down and then told her that she was grounded for endangering both herself and Killian with her reckless behaviour and for using the removal of free-will as a threat over the person who was closest to her. They were right, she'd never fully considered it before, or more likely never truly appreciated the fact that Killian Jones had always been her best friend. He never acted as it their closeness was merely a result of the bond they shared, but rather that he actually liked her for who she was, stupid decision making and all.

She needed to apologise to him and his parents, but Graham and Ruby seemed to be avoiding her (as was well within their right) and Killian was still on too many painkillers for her to use the bond to track him down. All in all she felt useless and guilty, trying to channel her pent up energy into studying, working on her magic and so on.  
Her one small act of rebellion was to borrow one of her mother's birds to send a message to Neal saying that she was sorry, but she couldn't see him anymore. He didn't know that she was a Dragon Lord only that she had a very different upbringing to him which she cited as her reason for calling off their relationship. Hopefully he'd understand.

As the days passed, she started to get a bit more feeling back into the bond and so made it her mission to seek out Ruby. Her mother's dragon had always been kind to her, treating her as another extension of herself, happy to take Emma whenever her mother had duties elsewhere. Besides, she got the feeling that Ruby would be easier to talk to than Graham, whom her father had referred to as a notorious grudge-bearer on several occasions.  
However, Ruby proved to be very elusive when she wanted to be, not that that mattered. Emma knew this castle like the back of the hand and it was only a matter of time before she caught the woman, which she did, sneaking through one of the staff passages.

"Gods above Emma," Ruby shrieked, when the blonde surprised her by tapping her on the shoulder, "What are you doing here."  
"Looking for you actually," Emma replied, noticing the change in the woman's expression.  
"Well whatever you have to say is going to have to wait, I need to-"  
"Ruby please," Emma begged, catching hold of her hand, "Please let me at least try to apologise for being so terrible. I can feel that Killian's getting better, I need to see him. Please."

The brunette looked at her for a long moment, her penetrating gaze seeming to reach down deep inside to assess the honesty of Emma's statement. Her lack of denial was all the permission Emma needed to start talking.  
"You have every right to hate me, hell, I hate me right now. The truth is, over these last days, not having him by my side, I think I've finally come to understand how much I need Killian. It's not just because of the bond we share as Dragon and Rider, but as friends. He has always been there for me, on my side, no matter what and I can see now how I have taken advantage of that; but I'm done. I promise that I will never act with such naivety again, that I will never hurt him whether directly or indirectly, I promise to treat him as he deserves to be treated. Ruby, please, I care so much about him, I love him as I do all my family."

Ruby gave her a quick assessing look, something soft and almost sad settling in her eyes; but still, she took hold of Emma's hand and led her through the back passages to a door in the East Wing that Emma had never been on the other side of as it was part of Granny's private quarters.  
With a nod from Ruby, she knocked tentatively hearing a quiet 'come in' from the other side.

Just as she had gripped the handle, Ruby's hand landed over hers, halting her progress.  
"He loves you too," the dragon woman said, "More than you know."  
With that, she walked away leaving Emma to enter the room alone, quickly disguising her confusion to meet the occupant with a smile.

~E&K~

Killian wormed around restlessly beneath the blankets that Granny had swaddled him in. The idea was to stop him from moving too much and further aggravating his damaged flesh, but the woman had seemed to pay no mind to the fact that Dragons run at a higher than normal temperature and being cocooned in a mountain of blankets in the middle of the afternoon or a fairly warm summers day, was not his idea of a good time. He was so grateful for the knock at the door, hoping for someone whom he could convince to free him from his sweaty prison. A thought instantly retracted when he finally saw who was on the other side.

"Emma," he said quietly, renewing his efforts to get into a more respectable position though clearly failing spectacularly judging by the hint of amusement in her eyes.  
"Here, let me help," she murmured, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed and suddenly he was sweating for a very different reason as she worked to methodically peel away the layers of cotton to get to the person underneath.  
"Thank you," he practically moaned when cool air hit his skin and he could move his arms around a bit, grateful that the pain seemed to have all but receded. His legs still ached from the bones bending back on themselves and the cut on his face where a spike had driven through the flesh was almost certain to scar, but it was an improvement on yesterday.

"You're staring Nolan," he noted, his own assessment of his health apparently being backed up by Emma's.  
"Sorry," she mumbled, head ducking in embarrassment, "I just was expecting worse, you know."  
He did know. He knew that he looked like a complete wreck once he'd shifted back. After morphing, Graham had been the one to pin him down (also in dragon form) to prevent him from flying off somewhere where they wouldn't be able to find him. He'd kept him that way until Granny had been called, the old woman using her decades of experience to help him return to his human form without doing any more damage. He'd blacked out in an instant as the pain hit him, coming around as he was being carried through the halls and catching a glimpse in the mirror of his blood soaked body, skin torn and bones showing. It had been a living nightmare.  
"Granny did her own brand of magic and since I started getting my strength back, she's been pushing me to use my own power and now nearly everything's cleared up. I should be up and about in a day or two and- _please don't cry Emma."_

She didn't even realise she had been until he pointed it out, quickly reaching up to brush the tears away  
"This is all my fault," she breathed, one trembling hand reaching out to brush the hair off of his forehead, "I should have just come home with you instead of being so fucking stubborn."  
"Ah, but then you wouldn't be Emma Nolan," he said, taking hold of her hand and twining their fingers, "And the things is, I'm quite fond of you as you are, 'fucking stubborn' and all."  
She choked out a laugh, squeezing his palm tightly then relaxing it again.  
"I'm never doing it again," she promised, "I'm done sneaking out and getting you into trouble."  
There was a brief pause before he spoke again, feeling the need to ask the question though not particularly wanting to know the answer.  
"What about Neal?"

Emma looked at him curiously for a moment, there was something in his voice that seemed off, almost pained, as if asking her about Neal physically hurt him.  
"I sent him a letter ending things," Emma explained, "We had fun together but that was all it was really, besides, it was a dangerous thing to do anyway. I have no idea who he really is, he could be working for the Dark One for all I know."  
"But you liked him," Killian replied solemnly and it was true. She did like Neal but mainly because he showed interest in her when nobody else did, apart from Killian but he had no choice but to be interested in her. Emma settled it by nodding and then redirecting the conversation to castle gossip and the fact the Granny had almost torn the wings off Will Scarlett; a dragon who had joined them only recently after years in hiding.

Killian was content to listen to her talk, the afternoon changing unnoticed into the evening as Emma shared story after story. It was like being children again when he'd spend hours trailing after her in the garden making daisy-chain crowns to go in her hair while she made up imaginary quests.  
Their hands never parted, a fact of which he was acutely aware but refused to draw attention to should she decide to move. Searching their bond, he felt waves of happiness role off of her as she relaxed back into his heap of pillows, reminiscing about the time when they were six and decided to try and ride together for the first time. Their ears had rang for a week afterwards due to Snow's scream at finding her daughter hanging off the chandelier with a little black dragon curled at her side.

As the sky darkened, Ruby appeared carrying a tray of food obviously intended for two. She took a moment to scowl at her son for the lack of blankets covering him, but settled into a smile at his 'you can't be mad at me and you know it' smirk, that had got him out of trouble many times over the years.  
"You're looking better," she commented, checking over his injuries as Emma ladled out the bowls of Granny's famous beef stew, "Almost completely normal again."  
She glanced pointedly at Emma allowing Killian to reach his own conclusion. Healing himself wasn't exactly difficult, but it was made ten times easier when he could also draw strength from his partner.

"I'm feeling better," he said, testing his arms by stretching them over his head and bending his legs before straightening them again, "Practically no pain at all."  
"It's your blood," Emma supplied, as she plunked back into her previous spot, handing a bowl to Killian who was looking at her for explanation, as was Ruby.  
"Oh right," she said quickly, "So, I uh, did some research over the last couple of days and because your bloodline is so old and powerful, we're talking the first dragons in existence from what I could find, all your abilities are tenfold the normal dragon. Speed, strength, fire breathing capabilities, magic; I don't know if you've unlocked all of that yet but it basically means you're some kind of mega-dragon. The gold markings that you get on your front left foot, supposedly that's extremely rare and back in the day, people would prophesise about the gold dragons and what they would do."

Killian was shocked; firstly that she'd taken the time to delve so deeply into her research about him, but secondly that he hadn't known any of that about himself. Granny had always said he was special and he'd always been top of his classes and the best in training, he and Emma could fly together and hear each other's thoughts before most had even had their first saddle fitting; but he'd never thought there was a specific reason behind it. If what Emma said was true and he did have some hidden ability just waiting to be discovered, it could turn the tide in this battle before it had the chance to become a war.  
"Eat up Nolan," he said, nudging her food more firmly towards her, "We've got work to do."

~E&K~

The trees seemed to be whipping by at more than their usual rate, yet Emma could feel the frustration radiating off of Killian. She knew that this was no test on his stamina, they'd held this speed for more than hour and yet he still wasn't tired.  
Since having fully healed and been cleared by Granny, her dragon had made a point of finding the true limits of potential and though they had easily surpassed what he could previously do, both were aware that he had more to give.

 _'Maybe we should take a break,'_ she suggested, immediately being ignored as he huffed and continued to fly. _'Killian come on, we'll try again tomorrow.'_  
 _'No,'_ he echoed, _'I can do this, there's just something missing.'_  
He'd said it before, about something not quite clicking into place and whatever it was was holding him back. They'd scoured the library for hours on end looking for answers, Killian had even had her try to command him, though even that had failed. She didn't know why it was suddenly so important to him, yet she refused to give up, her vow remained and, if she was being honest, she liked all the time that they spent together...more than liked it.

The bond between a Dragon and their Lord can be truly spectacular when used the the best of each individuals ability. She didn't think they'd ever been so intimately aware of each other as both human and creature. Flying together had felt like a completely different experience and Emma had found herself blushing more than once when he teasingly told her to mount him. In his flesh form Killian had seemed to become more affectionate. Whereas before he would just pat her on the back or clasp her hand in passing, now he had taken to playing with the ends of her hair and sometimes falling asleep with his head on her lap. It was at those times when she could truly appreciate what a fine specimen he was. The dark hair, blue eyes and stubbled jaw were one hell of a combination combined with the hard muscles from his training and the aura of power and confidence that seemed to follow him.  
A large part of her (far larger than she would care to admit to) was deadly afraid of the day when someone new would catch his eye, a local girl or one of the female dragons when they came into heat; some beautiful woman who would capture his heart and steal him away from her.

Killian must have felt her tension as he slowed down until they were gliding calmly just above the surface of one of the great lakes, his claws dipping into the water below as she gathered herself.  
"Sorry," she spoke aloud, "Got a bit lost in my own head there."  
Killian grumbled slightly in response, calling some warmth into his neck that Emma gratefully sank into, pressing her cheek to the scales and stroking her left hand across his shoulder while her right held onto the saddle.  
A sense of peace and clarity seemed to wash over the pair as they sailed across the rippling mirror below and, it was in that moment that Killian felt something fall into place.

 _'Emma,'_ he urged, only garnering a grunt in return, _'Emma,'_ he insisted, finally getting her to sit up.  
"What?" She asked in her normal voice, automatically leaning lower into the saddle as he began to pick up speed.  
 _'Hold on love,'_ was all the warning he gave before launching himself forward, roaring triumphantly at Emma's mall squeak as they shot across the valley. Within ten minutes the could see the outline of the castle having covered what had previously been an hour long journey in a sixth of that time.  
The people below in the courtyard gasped as they rocketed overhead, circling once to kill the speed before lowering onto an open section of grass.

Emma stumbled ungracefully from the saddle, nearly landing face first in the dirt as she tried to get her equilibrium back, before turning to her very smug looking dragon.  
"I think we cracked it," she huffed, leaning heavily against his flank and delivering a quick slap at the sound of his victorious laughter sounding in her mind.

~E&K~

From then, it seemed easy to access all of Killian's gifts.  
All they needed was a moment of absolute calm and then Emma's hand to connect with his gold markings and suddenly the world shifted. They'd tested his strength with Emma and both of their parents on his back at the same time, seeing how it impacted on his speed and stamina, though the overall effect had seemed minimal. Granny had him test the reach of his flame, which turned out to be from the edge of their territory to the castle, using magic no longer tired Emma out as much as it once had, her own individual abilities getting stronger by the day.  
She felt as if she owed it somewhat to the never ending sea of joy and encouragement that seemed to flow from Killian, the success in his own endeavors leading him to believe whole heartedly in hers. Her control of the elements increased dramatically allowing her to summon her own brand of fire to be shaped in the palm of her hand as well as the new discovery of a beam of pure white light that they found could be used offensively and act as a shield.

The castle was buzzing with talk and where Emma had once been some kind of self-made outcast, she was now at the center of most conversations with other riders as they asked for advice on how to strengthen their own bonds. The younger dragons too flocked to Killian. The little ones seemed to worship the ground he walked on and she knew that he had had dozens of offers for dates, both male and female; though it was also common knowledge that he turned them all down.

Where he could instead be spending his nights drinking and socialising in the hall, or in the rooms of all too willing partners, Killian continuously returned to the gardens where me made far better flower crowns for Emma while she talked the hours away about everything and nothing.  
The stories tended to be more personal now; she told him in person when she felt upset or angry, rather than just letting him get it second hand through the bond. Emma too opened up about the feeling of a weight upon her shoulders to live up to the family name and, more recently, how she regrets giving away her virginity in what she can now see was a less than ideal situation and not worth all the hype.  
To ease her embarrassment, Killian had admitted to still being a virgin and the fact that he didn't see that status changing any time soon.

Such intimate encounters had also led to a dramatic increase in Emma Nolan's desire to kiss Killian Jones, and not in a friends on the cheek kind of way, or a we're six years old and I just need to brag about something kind of way. This was a very much kiss him to shove him against a wall and rake her nails all over his naked body kind of way.  
She wondered how she didn't just reek of hormones, how with this new extra-strong bond he wasn't picking up on what must be a boatload of desire practically pouring out of her pores. If he had noticed it, he sure was doing a good job of hiding it; she'd hugged him yesterday just because and it had felt as if her heart was trying to beat out of her chest.

The realisation of what was happening had her taking sneaky trips to the library. There were very few cases such as the one that existed between her and Killian as male dragons tended to form their bond with male lords and females were the same. A male-female bond, though not unheard of, was still relatively rare. Emma searched desperately for examples happening on a few though they spoke of sibling love and in one case an almost maternal instinct, there didn't seem to be anywhere in history in which a Dragon Lord had fallen in love with their dragon.  
And there in lay the problem. Emma Nolan, without even realising it had happened, had fallen in love with Killian Jones.  
She decided the best and most healthy way to deal with this revelation was to go and blast holes in various trees just beyond the castle gates, still very much in view of the guards who were on the afternoon patrol. Emma allowed every ounce of her power to flow into her fingertips, destroying centuries old oak with a flick of her wrist and then repairing it with the blink of an eye. It was probably the massive show of magic that called him there.

"My, my...hasn't someone gotten powerful," Rumplestiltskin giggled, appearing before her in a cloud of purple smoke, "Much more impressive than when I last visited."  
"What do you want Dark One?" she spat, calling through her bond for Killian to sound the alarm and feeling the echo of fear from his end and the rush of heat as he prepared to change.  
"The same thing I wanted before," the imp answered, looking at her as if trying to read her mind, though Emma was determined to give nothing away, "I would like to further your abilities in the comfort of my own home. You have such potential and your so called family is only going to hold you back."

Her pulse soared as she felt the ripple meaning Killian was no longer on two legs. It would only be a matter of time, if she could just keep him talking, perhaps they could end this.  
"I don't recall that being all that you demanded," Emma hissed, her anger only growing as the wizard tutted and shook his head as if to condescend her.  
"Demanded is such a big word Miss Nolan, it was more of a determined suggestion. Now I am prepared to be more lenient as to your marriage with my son, I will happily give you time to form a relationship with Baelfire first, the rest I'm sure will follow. "  
She tried and failed to hide her disgust, "You honestly believe I would ever willingly enter into a relationship with any spawn of yours? I'm afraid, Dark One that you are sorely mistaken."

The man's face transformed immediately, a fearsome mask falling into place that would have made a lesser man tremble at the knees. But Emma was no man, and she did not cower in the face of adversity.  
"You're going to regret that dearie," the monster growled, his hand raising menacingly.  
"We'll see about that," she responded just as a line of red hot flame shot from above engulfing the patch of land where Rumplestiltskin had just been standing.  
She glanced up and saw Killian circling overhead, accompanied by a legion of other dragons, the sound of armour clanking behind her as the guards and riders approached on foot to examine the charred piece of earth where they hoped to see the remains of their enemy, however...

"As I said dearie," a voice sounded and everyone turned to see a blackened, yet clearly not dead Dark One, glaring at them from ten feet away, "You're going to regret that."

~E&K~

Rumplestiltskin had vanished immediately after their last encounter leaving the castle to descend abruptly into a council of war and strategy meetings. There were plans to move the younglings and the elderly to another secure location miles away from their land, should the Dark One launch a surprise attack. As the most ancient of the Dragon Lord families, Emma's parents were front and center in the arrangements and it was they themselves who escorted the vulnerable away, moving through the night in hopes of not being spotted by enemy spies.

Initially, they had attempted to keep Emma and Killian out of the meetings, claiming that they were too young to be caught up with fighting a war. However, they were persistent and determined, Emma arguing fervently that this battle was about her and with the unveiling of Killian's new ability, sending them away from the fight would be a terrible tactical decision. It was Granny who had settled the matter. She had refused to leave the palace and no one had seen fit to argue. The old woman drew to light the ancient prophecies about gold marked dragons, citing that, though there was no firm evidence for it, the stories were likely based in truth; the dragons and their riders simply didn't have need to utilise their skills to their full extent.

With great reluctance from their parents, the matter had been settled and Emma and Killian had thrown themselves into strategising and training, pushing themselves further than ever before.  
Many nights would be spent with Killian collapsing beside her in her bedchambers, too exhausted to make his way back to his own. She couldn't say that she minded, it was like having her own personal space heater beneath the covers and she'd often wake wrapped in his arms, his face buried into the back of her neck. It had since become a habit for her to try and wake before he did, not wanting to face the disappointment if he apologised for his unconscious self's night time activities.

The final battle did not approach in a single instant. The castle spent weeks on constant edge as the Dark One built his army, his associates forcibly kidnapping those who could fight from villages across the realm. Chaos descended as those who tried to remain loyal to their protecters had their homes raized to the grounds. They were often held back from launching a full on attack by having to send resources elsewhere to assist those trying to flee from the reach of Rumplestiltskin.  
It was on the day that Killian and Emma's official riding armour had been finished that tensions broke.

~E&K~

"He's here," David panted, crashing through the doors to the main hall, having sprinted from the courtyard, leaving Graham outside in dragon form. "It's time, Rumplestilitskin is here."

There was a brief moment of deadly silence before everyone sprang into action.  
Emma lost sight of Killian almost immediately, but she could feel the immense heat coursing through him as he prepared for the change. There were regular people who had lived to serve in the castle who would dress him for battle. This left Emma to follow the line of Lords heading to the armoury, throwing on her chainmail and the black, red and gold cover that allowed other riders to identify her in the air.

Her parents were readying themselves beside her and they made their way together to one of the outer fields that now was crawling with tense looking dragons, only holding still so that their saddles could be adjusted and head pieces secure. Opening the ever present link, Emma easily found Killian already full plated, his tail twitching back and forth indicating both fear and anticipation. She paid little attention to Ruby and Graham who stood nearby, their gazes locked onto their son unable to communicate all that they wanted to say in that instant. Emma hoped that they had talked properly before shifting.

Instead of lingering beside her parents, she made her way immediately to stand before Killian, who dipped his head so that they were nose to nose, Emma reaching out to soothingly stroke the scales on his cheek feeling the increased warmth as he exhaled.  
 _'You okay?'_ she asked, getting only a nod in return as he nudged her further with his nose.  
She acquiesced to his unspoken request, pressing her forehead to his snout for a long moment.  
The noise around them faded immediately. It was a tactic they had been developing. The brief and intimate moment between them, seeing nothing, hearing nothing but their own heart beats, it increased their combined abilities even further.  
As Emma drew back, she could see the blue flames sparking behind Killian's eyes, a sure sign that magic was currently coursing unchecked through his veins. The sight made a confident little smirk ease its way onto her face and, if it was even possible, he winked.

"Emma," her mother's voice called out, catching her attention and sending her rushing to the outstretched arms of her family.  
"Be careful," her father said, his hand gently cupping the back of her head.  
"You too," she replied, taking one last second to squeeze them tightly before Granny gave the call to mount up.  
Turning back to Killian, he was already half-kneeling on the ground, allowing her easy access to the stirrups as she swung herself up into the saddle, quickly settling herself as he rose back to fall height, which was a good few feet taller than any other of the beasts on the field.

As her father raised his fist before dropping it again, the air was filled with the sounds of dozens of beating wings as the dragons raised themselves upwards. Snow and Ruby took point, Emma, Killian, David and Graham falling into their flanks as the army cut through the clouds to the nearby edge of the mountains where the Dark One's forces had been spotted.

Killian saw them first.  
Emma felt the long, drawn-out hiss travel through the length of his body, the other dragons in their forces immediately echoing the noise as the endless waves of black soldiers came into view, paused on the distant side of the valley. She didn't know whether to be pleased or not that they were flying a banner of truce. It was likely just so that the twisted little imp could make one more attempt to sway Emma's decision despite having already threatened the safety of her entire family.  
The Nolan's separated themselves from the main body, leaving the other riders to perch on an outcropping of rock, ready to dive into action at the first sign of trouble. Killian, Ruby and Graham all slowly sank to the ground, still at least fifty feet from the enemy but close enough that they could hear and be heard.

Emma's feet hit the ground with a dull thud at the same time as her parents. Giving a quick reassuring pat to Killian's neck, she moved forward until she had a clear view of Rumplestiltskin who was giggling manically.  
"My, my, such an impressive display and all for little ol' me," he laughed, making her shiver, "But really it's not necessary. We still have time to stop this, if only the charming Emma here will agree to my terms."  
Killian growled lowly behind her, Emma able to hear him moving restlessly though he was silenced, most likely by one of his parents.

"I think I'll stand my original decision," she voiced loudly, watching as the smile dropped from the sorcerer's face, only to be replaced by something far more sinister.  
"Such a shame dearie, it appears I brought my son all this way for nothing," he said, gesturing to a boy by his side, a strangely familiar boy and, as the realisation dawned, Emma gasped, a bitter taste invading her mouth.

"Neal?" She spat, watching as recognition dawned on his face.  
"Emma," he replied, shrinking back as Killian growled again, but far louder and with more menace.  
"You know him?" Her mother whispered urgently, "How? When could you have-Oh."  
The betrayal written on Emma's features and Killian's prominent anger were answer enough.  
"Interesting," giggled Rumple, "You've already met Baelfire and, if my assumption is correct, you're already _intimately_ familiar with one another. That'll make life so much easier, so Emma, if you please."  
She looked at the withered hand he held out in her direction with abject disgust, drawing herself to full height before responding:  
"As I said," she spoke coldly, "My previous answer still stands."  
With that, she turned back, quickly situating herself on Killian's back, feeling his muscles tense in anticipation, his whole frame dropping into a low crouch.  
"Pity," was all the Dark One said before a flick of his wrist sent the whole army charging across the field towards them.

There was a piercing chorus of draconian roars as Killian blew out a wall of fire to hold back the advancing threat, before launching into the sky, quickly falling into rank. They were broken up by a wave of arrows, though it was as they had anticipated.  
The plan was to make them believe they had the upper-hand by keeping the dragons scattered, when in fact they would be being herded away to somewhere they could be contained. It was hardly going to be a fair fight with the Dragon Lords trying to simultaneously fight their foe but also prevent as much death as possible as many of these were unwilling participants in the Dark One's fight.

Rumplestiltskin himself was for the Nolan's to deal with. Their combined magic should be enough to destroy the wizard without needing his dagger and thus having to take on the mantle of 'Dark One' themselves. It was almost impossible to spot him amongst the throngs and they were forced to rise hire in order to be out of reach of the legions of archers.  
There was no way they would ever win like this.  
Somehow, they needed to lure him out so that he was front and center. A flash of something below caught her eye and Emma suddenly knew exactly what to do.

"Dive," she yelled to Killian, envisioning her intended target and leaning forward into the saddle as they rocketed towards the ground, too fast for any of the soldiers to comprehend. Before anyone could react, one of Killian's clawed feet shot out, catching hold of its prey before rocketing up again and back towards the edge of the valley where their allies had waited. He carelessly deposited his cargo, sending the individual sprawling across the ground, coughing and spluttering as he crashed against a rock and came to a halt.

"Sorry about that," Emma sneered, leaning over Killian's shoulder to watch as Neal tried to struggle to his feet, "Except I'm really not."  
"You're insane, you know that," he spluttered, spitting a load of dirt out of his mouth and advancing towards them, "Besides, you lied to me too."  
Killian was quick to knock him back to the ground, a sharp whip of his tail catching Neal across the torso.  
"I told you my real name and that for personal reasons I couldn't talk about my family. Excuse me _Baelfire,_ I don't think that's quite the same as saying you're the son of a simple merchant."  
"From what I recall, you quite enjoyed this simple merchant boy," Neal smirked.

A spike of anger rushed through Emma, though it didn't belong wholly to her.  
Without warning, Killian strode forward, knocking Neal back and pinning him town, a singular talon lodged precariously close to the man's throat. A tremor ran through his body, making his skin unnaturally hot and Emma realised he was using magic, so that while she remained immune to the sudden searing heat, Neal began to whimper in pain.  
"I'd watch your mouth around Killian," Emma taunted, a gloved hand stroking the curve of her dragon's neck, "He's got a long memory and is far more bite than bark."

Pleasure washed over her as Neal shrunk back in fear, Killian flashing his fangs and digging his nails a little deeper into the earth.  
"My father is going to tear the scales off you one by one," Neal hissed, though his threat was only met with a cold smile from Emma.  
"Please," she said, "He'll have to catch us first."  
"He will find you," Neal groaned, struggling against the immovable force of Killian.  
"We're counting on it," Emma replied and sure enough...

An ear-splitting screech had Emma wheeling around as a dark shadow seemed to overtake the sky.  
 _'What is that?'_ Emma asked Killian, who had suddenly started flinching and twitching.  
 _'Dark magic,'_ he huffed, _'I'm alright love, it just feels potent and that apparently doesn't agree with me. My gold is burning.'_  
Emma glanced at his left leg and was shocked to see that the gold scales were in fact glowing, the magic beneath them flaring to life. It seemed like a fairly obvious sign that it was time to end things.  
Removing her left glove, Emma reached forward and pressed her hands to his glowing skin, a jolt of electricity running from her palm up the length of the arm and towards her heart, their bond suddenly like a glowing steel cable, tying them together.  
Killian stopped twitching immediately, releasing Neal and turning to immediately bound to the edge of the cliff, spreading his wings and carrying them over.

Whatever dark mass Rumplestiltskin had conjured seemed to morph together, the shape mirroring that of a dragon only far larger and made of smoke, the wizard himself sat astride its back and heading straight at them.  
Emma spared a quick thought for her parents, hoping that they were safe and she would see them on the other side of things before urging Killian to pick up the pace, moving towards their enemy at a blistering speed.

It seemed as if they had suddenly entered into an intense game of chicken, both pairs baring down on one another, neither willing to move aside. At the point of collision, Killian rolled to the right, launching a string of flame at the creatures underside, making it howl in pain before circling back around. Once more, they charged each other, the Dark One trying to anticipate their next more though he was once again caught off guard as they pulled up at the last minute, Emma spinning in the saddle to shoot a beam of light at the back of his head, missing Rumple but catching his monster and blasting a seemingly irreparable hole through it.  
 _'No more fire Killian, use your magic instead.'_  
He growled an affirmative, looping back on himself and downwards to try and catch them from below; but the enemy was ready this time.

Just as Killian was summoning a ball of pure energy, the dark beast dove, latching hold of them by sinking its teeth into Killian's leg. Emma screamed as pain flooded through her, tears catching in her eyes as Killian shrieked and thrashed trying to dislodge the monster. She could hear Rumple's vindictive laughter through the ringing in her ears, the anger it inspired giving her just enough strength to press her hand to Killian again giving her the power to burn a hole through the creatures head, giving them time to retreat.

A deep breath escaped her, but suddenly seemed to slam back into her throat as Killian dipped dramatically. She reached forward, only to catch a glimpse of her hand that was covered in deep red blood.  
"Killian," she whispered as he zig-zagged through the air, unable to stay on course. He had been caught right over his gold patches, the dark magic seeping into the wounds where his own was trying to fight it off, though he couldn't battle both internally and externally.  
"Killian," Emma said again, a little louder this time, her fear becoming more palpable.

He knew that they needed to end this, that if they didn't there would be no telling what could happen. Emma could only see the physical effect of the attack and he needed to keep it that way. Drawing upon all of the ancient strength that he had in his body, Killian pushed aside the pain and levelled himself out.  
 _'I'm fine love. I'm thinking that you've done enough damage that we stand a better chance now.'_  
She hesitated before answering, clearly undecided on whether she believed him or not, but chose to go along with it no matter what.  
' _My parents Killian, we need to find them, if we're going to-'_  
 _'We don't have time,'_ he interrupted quickly, _'Emma, you are stronger than you know, we can do this, just you and me. There isn't another way, finding your parents will cost us too much time, we have to act now, to save everyone.'_  
He prayed that she would listen, that for once she would see herself the way he did.  
"Let's do this," she said, tightening her hold and dipping low so that she was practically lying across his back, creating minimal air-resistance as Killian gave it all he had knocking past the Dark One before he could lay eyes on them.

They flew vertically upwards, away from the battle, past the cloud line so they were out of sight at which point Killian stopped. It was a move that they had only ever tried once but now seemed as good a time as any for a second attempt. Turning in the air, Killian made no move to use his wings, tucking them in so that they free-fell towards the ground, the bright light of their combined power rising up around them.  
Breaching the clouds, there was a brief moment to enjoy the flicker of surprise on Rumplestiltskin's face as they bore down landing solidly on the back of his monster, which writhed in agony as Killian dug his claws in, letting the white magic flow.

With no means of escape, the Dark One flung spell after spell at them, his hands twisting through the air as he tried to find a chink in the wall of brilliant burning light that had risen up to encompass the rider and her dragon. They seemed to pulsate, every beam burning further and further through his hideous creation until there was almost nothing left.  
In an instant, he considered poofing himself away, but it was an instant too late.

Emma managed to catch his eye with a last victorious smile as the sphere of light burst outwards fully incinerating the darkness in the wizard and his monster. There was a terrible wailing as the strings of dark magic flailed helplessly, separated from their host, before being incinerated at the first touch of the white beams. The mortal body of Rumplestiltskin fell away, dead or not she couldn't tell and didn't truly care.

She was about to celebrate as the fighting below them seemed to cease with the enemy leader now gone and his unwilling servants freed, but she found herself once more plummeting towards the earth, though this was not a tactical maneuver.  
 _'Killian!'_ She cried out desperately, but there was no response from him whatsoever, only unnerving disconnected feeling at the end of the bond.  
Emma panicked, calling out for him over and over, begging him to wake up; but he never did.

She readied herself to brace for impact as the ground seemed to speed up towards them, yet it never came. Instead, something snatched her off of Killian's back moments before he collided with the earth, a large cloud of dust coming up to obscure her vision and the crippling pain that followed causing her to black out; his name the last word on her lips.

~E&K~

It felt like a dwarf was taking a pick-axe to the inside of her skull. She fought valiantly against the black fog of sleep, pushing to the surface and the dimly candle-lit space of her own bedroom back in the castle.  
"Oh thank goodness you're awake," she heard her mother's voice say, turning her head quickly to try and locate her and instantly regretting the choice.  
"Try to hold still Emma," she soothed, moving into her line of sight with a cold cloth in hand that she draped across her forehead, "You've been through a lot."

"What happened," Emma tried to say, her voice catching in her throat and coming out as barely more than a whisper, "The battle, Killian-"  
Her mother hushed her quickly, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking hold of her hand.  
"The battle was two days ago, you've been asleep since then. You're father and Graham managed to catch you just before you hit the ground and they took you straight back here. I stayed behind to try and organise getting everyone back to their homes and then how to help Killian." She could see Emma wanted more answers, so continued on before she could ask, "His leg was infected with dark magic. In order to stop Rumplestiltskin he had to focus all of his energy outwards but he was already too weak. Granny's done her best; the bones that he broke in landing are all healed now and she thinks she managed to extract all of the darkness but there's the possibility his left hand won't be quite the same again unless his own magic can heal it. Your father and I have been going back and forth between your rooms. It's been difficult, Ruby and Graham are understandably very distressed and he isn't showing signs of coming round yet."

There were tears spilling from her mother's eyes that Emma was sure matched her own. Both families had nearly lost their children on the same day from a fight that they were meant to handle together.  
"I'm so sorry mom," she whispered brokenly.  
"Oh sweetheart, you have nothing to apologise for," Snow rushed to reassure her, "Do we wish that we had been there to help: of course, but your father and I couldn't be more proud of you Emma. Even with the odds stacked against us, you stayed true to yourself and saved hundreds if not thousands of people."

Emma nodded, a hint of panic encroaching as her eyes started to droop, her mother's voice telling her to relax, that she needed to rest to get better.  
She knew that she would, but only until she had the strength to see Killian.

~E&K~

It was exactly two days later that Emma argued her way out of bed with the stipulation that she take it easy and walk to Killian's room like a normal person rather that sprinting like a madman, as she so wanted to do.

Ruby had dropped in the previous day, tear lines on her cheeks but a smile on her face as she told them that he'd woken up, only briefly but long enough for them to know that he was feeling okay and that the damage to his hand seemed to be minimal, only a lingering stiffness.  
It was all the incentive Emma needed to start pushing her case and she wasn't ashamed to admit to resorting to using the hero of the realm card to get her way. Cue walking with her father, who had placed a restraining arm on her shoulder down the corridor to Killian's room. The door was partially open when they arrived and, peering through the gap, Emma could see that Killian was sat up and having what looked to be an animated conversation with his father.

Shaking David off, she rushed into the room, all thought of injury forgotten as she jumped onto the bed and into her dragon's surprised arms.  
"Emma," he murmured, automatically wrapping her up in a tight hug as she started to cry into his shirt, not hearing the soft footsteps of the adults leaving to give them some privacy.  
"Sssh, love," he soothed, stroking a hand through her hair, "It's okay, everything's o-"  
"Everything is not okay Killian Jones!" She shouted suddenly, forcing him to draw back in confusion.  
"You almost died," she continued, "You could have died, so don't tell me things are okay because that is the forthest thing from okay that I can think of."  
Her chest was heaving and he seemed to stunned to move let alone form words, so she did the only logical thing in that situation and kissed him.

With her mouth still pressed furiously against his, Emma wound her fingers into the strands of thick, dark hair at the base of his neck, using the leverage to press herself closer earning a breathy moan from him.  
"Emma," he said again, when they finally separated, awe filling his voice, "I-"  
"I've been wanting to do that since-"  
"We were kids," he finished, catching her chin between his fingers so that he could look her in the eye, "I've been waiting for and wanting that since we were kids Emma Nolan," he paused to shoot her a teasing grin, "I'll also admit to several fantasies about having you in my bed, but I was in far better condition in those."

Emma blushed taking in their position, her straddling his lap with his hands resting dangerously low on her hips. She tried to duck her head, but he still had a hold of her, reaching up to cup her face between his palms and pulling her in for another sweet kiss.  
"You scared me," she admitted referencing both his feelings and near death experience.  
"I know," he replied simply, waiting for her to reach her own decision.  
"Don't almost die on me again," she pleaded, pressing their foreheads together, the bind between them singing.  
"I'll endeavour to try," he muttered, counting it as a victory when a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.

"I love you," she whispered, the words so long supressed now falling easily from her tongue.  
"I love you too, Emma," he replied.

They continued to kiss and though there were still challenges ahead and questions to be answered in regards to what was to be expected from a dragon and their rider falling in love with each other; yet all that seemed inconsequential and irrelevant to Killian and Emma, completely at peace in each other's arms.

 **The End**


End file.
